Yahoo! Answers

Hey Guys,

A few years ago, I made a conscious decision to start drinking coffee. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But now my once pearly whites are starting to look a bit, well, stained. There are plenty of “teeth whitening” products, but do any of ‘em really work?

I’m hardly the first person to ask. Yahoo! Answers hosts a slew of inquiries about various teeth whitening products. Some folks want to know if the products are worth the money. Other, less skeptical people simply want to know how they work. I did some research and found a few answers…

From what I can tell, most experts believe that teeth whitening products do work, although results (of course!) tend to vary. An article from The Boston Channel quotes a doctor from Tufts School of Dental Medicine. He explains that “some of the products work quite well,” but it all depends on the concentration of peroxide. That’s the stuff that bleaches your teeth. For example, the take home strips you often see at the drug store have a relatively low percentage of peroxide, “usually about 3 percent.” Meanwhile, according to the article, a professional bleaching done at your dentist’s office will use about 35% peroxide.

Of course, there is a big price difference between a simple at-home treatment and going into the dentist for a professional job. A Denver News article writes that most at-home whitening strips cost around $25. Meanwhile, having your teeth whitened by your dentist will run you well into the hundreds. It’s also worth noting that all the treatments require maintenance. You may see an improvement, but drink more coffee and its back to brown town.

Do you guys have experience with teeth whiteners? Have they worked well for you? Any tips on getting the most “bang for your buck”? Please leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,

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Here at Yahoo! Answers, we use badges to designate the various types of members participating in the Yahoo! Answers community. Here is an explanation of what the different badges mean:

• An Official badge indicates that the identity of a community member asking or answering questions on Yahoo! Answers has been verified by a member of the Yahoo! Answers team. This helps us distinguish our celebrity, professional, and sponsor participants within the Yahoo! Answers community.
• The Staff badge displays when members of the Yahoo! Answers team or other Yahoo! staff members officially ask or answer questions on Answers.
• The Top Contributor badge is used to recognize a member of the Answers community who has shown that they are knowledgeable in a particular category. The top contributor badge is dynamic, which means that you earn it or lose it depending on your recent participation in a particular category. To learn more about Top Contributors, please review Top Contributor help.

It’s important to remember that Q&A content on Answers should not replace the advice and consultation of a qualified professional. All answers posted on Yahoo! Answers (even answers from staff) are only the opinion of the poster.

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Hey Guys,

You don’t need me to tell you that the economy is in bad shape. People are losing their jobs and homes, leaving many little choice but to declare bankruptcy. One Yahoo! Answers community member asked how long a bankruptcy stays on someone’s credit report. Is there a hard and fast rule, or does it depend on a million different factors?

I hunted around the Web and found that, amazingly, there actually are solid numbers for how long a bankruptcy stays on a credit report. According to credit bureau Experian, the bankruptcy “remains for either 7 years from the filing date if it was a Chapter 13, or 10 years from the filing date if it was a Chapter 7, 11 or 12.”

So what makes a Chapter 13 different? The official site of the Federal Judiciary explains that Chapter 13 bankruptcy “allows a debtor to keep property and pay debts.” Chapter 7, on the other hand, is more akin to liquidation of all assets. Again, according to the Federal Judiciary, “Chapter 13 offers individuals an opportunity to save their homes from foreclosure.”

Regardless of your current financial status, it is important to monitor your own credit. A few years ago, the U.S. government started encouraging citizens to check their credit every year for free. With identity theft and fraud a growing issue, keeping tabs on your own credit can help stop problems before they start (or at least before they get out of control).

For more information on the various types of bankruptcy, check out this link from the U.S. government. But keep in mind that online help “should not substitute for the advice of competent legal counsel or a financial expert.” Bankruptcy law is an extremely complicated (and boring) topic. If you’re worried, do yourself a favor and speak to an expert.

Thanks for reading,

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What do Bono, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Seann William Scott all have in common? They have all taken part in Answers over the last couple of years. And they have not been the only ones-there’s a long list of celebrities and notable leaders who have chosen to pose a question to the Answers community and eagerly review your responses.

However, many of you have expressed feelings of concern toward the authenticity of these public figures on Answers. Well, we’d like to set the record straight: of course they are who they say they are. You’ll recognize them by the green badge with the “official” label under their avatar.

It’s that simple. You know us-we are always talking about our community guidelines, terms of service, and copyright and intellectual property policies. We take this all very seriously and would never allow someone to impersonate a public figure.

Here’s how the process works: The celebrity asks the question (you can see many recorded on video), the community answers the question, and the celebrity chooses the Best Answer.

Some of the questions and features come from our international Answers teams and have to be translated or converted into American English, but that’s it. There’s no trick or behind-the-scenes manipulations-they are who they say they are! And…they are amazed at the passion of the Answers community!

Now that you know these people are the “real McCoy,” is there someone in particular you’d like to see put a question before the community? We don’t promise anything, but we’d love to hear your suggestions, and we’ll do our best to make your dream come true.

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Hey Guys,

As a kid growing up, I spent many a sunny afternoon parked in front of the TV, watching cartoons. One of my favorites (aside from “Thundercats”) was “Peanuts.” Granted ol’ Charlie Brown wasn’t on the air on a regular basis, but when he was, it was very exciting, almost like getting a visit from the Great Pumpkin.

While browsing Yahoo! Answers, I came across a question from “The Real Superman.” He wants to know why the adults in Peanuts cartoons speak in such a goofy manner. I set out to find an answer. Well, sort of. Truth be told, I actually answered a very similar question a few years ago for “Ask Yahoo!” But I felt this was important enough to merit another go-round.

The way I see it, there are two parts to this question. First, how are the adult voices made? And second, why do the grownups speak that way? Let’s tackle the how before the why.

According to several sources across the Web, including the Peanuts Video and Animation Page, the adult voices are made with a trombone and a plunger. The composer would direct the trombonist to ‘enunciate’ the teacher’s dialogue “as though it were a trombone riff.” The results were that now familiar “mwa mwa mwa” sound.

That’s the how, but what about the why? Is the fact that the adults speak gibberish a subversive comment on parent-child relationships? Is it a way to keep the focus on the kids, who were the stars of the show? Or is it just a funny gimmick? A page from Wikipedia hypothesizes that Charles Schulz probably intended “the Peanuts universe to be child-centric and child-based, reflecting typical childhood concerns, misconceptions, logic, etc.” That makes sense to me.

One final note: I did a little research and found out that one trombonist provided all the adult voices in the Charlie Brown cartoons. His name is Dean Hubbard and you can read more about him on the aptly named “Trombone Page of the World.”

Mwa mwa mwa mwa,

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